Problems with using NordVPN - Page 2

I wasn’t going to bother but I thought the hell with it - it’s cheap enough!  I just signed up to the heavily discounted 24 month package on PrivateVPN and I can now watch my Sky Sports and Amazon Prime content.  

It didn’t work initially though so I sought assistance with the online help desk.  I was connected instantly and within minutes I was in.  The key thing to note is that there are two lists of servers to connect to.  You need to select the DEDICATED IP SERVER list and then select London.  I was on the wrong list!  Once that was pointed out I fired up both Sky and Prime and all good!  I can catch the highlights of an interesting day at the test match later on.

Thanks a lot for suggesting PrivateVPN.  Good start - hope it continues.  It’s useful for when I go home as well with their protection in place

Yes their helpline is the best I’ve dealt with. You can also use it on 6 different devices. 

Glad you are sorted.

Just thought I would add information for people searching for this topic later.

I was looking to access the BBC Iplayer website so someone recommended I signed up for the free trial  with SmartDNS Proxy a few years back. I tried the free trial, but can confirm I couldn't access the BBC Iplayer site, they knew I was outside the UK.

I then tried PureVPN a couple of years back. Worked OK the first couple of days, then lost access. Customer Service said they were aware of the issue and working to resolve it. I gave up after some weeks and stopped using it. Did try a few times some months later, still no access. They also try to game the system and get people to post positive reviews. They do this by sending an internal feedback request and if you enter a positive response you get connected to the Trusted Review site to leave a review. If your internal review is negative, they do not connect to the Trusted Review site.

This year I tried the ExpressVPN service. When I search in google for UK shopping or Google flights sites it shows prices in Pakistani rupee. It also doesn't work with BBC Iplayer. Back in the UK now and if I use it, the BBC IPlayer site still doesn't work.

Only problem so far is download speed on my iPhone.  For example I just tried to access two bank accounts and couldn’t open either with VPN active on the phone.  Once I had turned it off in Settings the web sites opened as normal.  I wonder if the fact that I am watching the cricket highlights on my PC via VPN has a bearing on that?  
Once the cricket has finished I will shut down Sky and check the phone access again with VPN enabled again.

Interesting stuff and I think this is a good place to share experiences with things like VPN providers.  I really wasn’t going to bother but was frustrated that I was missing out on England cricket coverage and am sitting here enjoying the highlights of the day broadcast.

The natural cynic in me though expects something to go wrong with this virtual tunnel that I have established between me and a server in London.  It works today but will it work tomorrow?  At least if I do get intermittent problems with it I can always cancel within 30 days.

You will experience some slowing down of internet speed with a VPN, some worse than others.  If you have a decent internet speed like  100mb you wont really notice the loss.  There is a VPN company, I believe it is called UK VPN, which guarantees access to Iplayer  etc, the BBC have spent a large amount of money on being able to detect when you are using a VPN and block you.

I know that a VPN slows things down but, so far, Private VPN is doing what I wanted it to do.  I am only using this to allow me access to the two packages that I pay for - Sky Sports and Prime Video, both of which were blocked on the 1st January.

I do appreciate your interest but you, along with others, have mentioned the BBC.  I repeat (just once more) - I get BBC through local cable company Connect Fibra.  I pay a monthly fee to them for a good tv service.

I think it’s time to close this thread because I have all I need now.  Thanks to everyone for their inputs but I’m ok now.

 NordVPN is very good and cheap, I don’t subscribe to any tv package,I obviously get all the English free tv channels, but I only get all 4 , bbc iPlayer etc. Catch up when I turn on my NordVPN.  Y neighbours get every channel- sky sports etc through iptv. And it’s cheaper than buying from sky alone.